20180810
The mosquitoes were suppressed by sterilising large numbers of males with bacteria.
每到夏季,除了防晒,防蚊也成了大多数人日常生活的一部分。为了让恼人的蚊子远离自己,人们想出了各种各样的办法。但每年,俄罗斯东部城市别列兹尼基都会举行为期三天的蚊子节,庆祝活动包括寻找“最美味女孩”(20分钟内身上蚊子叮包最多的女孩)、用罐子捉蚊子以及伴着蚊子主题的音乐跳舞。
虽然蚊子在俄罗斯受到了非比寻常的“热情款待”,但在世界上绝大多数地区,防蚊、灭蚊才是不变的主题。澳大利亚联邦科学与工业研究组织于7月10日发布公告说,研究人员借助新型无菌昆虫技术成功在一项试验中消灭掉了80%以上的埃及伊蚊。
研究团队首先培育出上百万只不叮人的雄性埃及伊蚊,然后让它们感染沃尔巴克氏体细菌,使雄性埃及伊蚊丧失生育能力。失去生育能力的雄性蚊子与叮人的雌性埃及伊蚊交配,导致其所产之卵无法孵化,从而使群体繁殖数量急剧减少。
联邦科学与工业研究组织卫生与生物安全局局长罗布·格伦费尔表示,城市化和气温升高意味着更多人处于危险之中,因为埃及伊蚊的生存区域在扩大。这一试验结果是抗击蚊子传播疾病的重大胜利。
mosquito: n. 蚊子
· mojito: n. 莫吉托 (一种用朗姆酒、青柠汁、糖和薄荷调成的鸡尾酒)
A buzz on: Russia's mosquito festival
双关,蚊子叫声,议论纷纷。
buzz: n. (蚊子、蜜蜂等的) 嗡嗡声;(对于一个新事件) 议论纷纷,众说纷纭
· What's the buzz?
发生什么事了?你们在聊什么八卦?
· Buzz Feed: 美国的一个新闻聚合网站
sth. is on: ……正在进行当中/开始了
· The war is on.
战争已经开始了/正在进行当中。
· The film is on.
电影已经开始放映了/正在公映当中。
① Most people consider mosquitoes a summer scourge but, in the Ural Mountains this weekend, the blood-suckers will be honoured at a tongue-in-cheek festival.
scourge: n. 引起苦难的东西;灾星,灾难
Ural Mountains: 乌拉尔山脉
blood-sucker: n. 吸血者;吸血鬼;吸血生物
tongue-in-cheek: adj./adv. 没有当真的/地;半开玩笑的/地;戏谑随意的/地
② Held by the town of Berezniki since 2013, the fun in previous years has ✘included finding the townsperson with the most mosquito-like legs, mosquito hunting with jars, and dancing to mosquito-themed music.
townsperson: n. 镇民;市民
-themed: ……主题的
③ For masochists, the main (blood) draw is a "tastiest girl" contest: the winner is judged by how many bites she receives in 20 minutes.
masochist: n. 有受虐倾向的人;受虐者
blood draw: 抽血
draw: n. 有吸引力的人/物 vt. 拉,拽;吸引
· draw one's attention: 吸引某人的注意力
for sb, the main draw is……
对于……,……最有吸引力
④ The warm reception received by mosquitoes in Berezniki must make them the envy of their cousins worldwide.
make sb. the envy of …: 使某人成为……嫉妒的对象
⑤ In July, a trial was successful in eradicating 80% of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in three locations near one town in Australia.
Aedes aegypti: 埃及伊蚊
· 埃及伊蚊是传播登革病毒、黄热病病毒和寨卡病毒等的主要媒介,在热带与亚热带区域生存
eradicate: vt. 根除;完全消除;彻底毁灭 (疾病、贫穷等)
· eradicate illness / disease: 根除疾病
· eradicate poverty: 消灭贫困
⑥ The mosquitoes—which can carry yellow fever, dengue fever and Zika, among other diseases—were suppressed by sterilising large numbers of males with bacteria.
carry: vt. 携带;承载
· carry an object: 携带物体
· carry a disease: 携带/传播疾病
· carry a message: 传达信息
· The bus can carry 40 people.
这辆车可以承载40人。
yellow fever: 黄热病
dengue fever: 登革热
Zika: n. 寨卡病毒
⑦ These were then released, mating with females who then laid unfertilised eggs, causing a population crash.
️表示举例的四种方式
1) among other + 名词复数
which can carry yellow fever, dengue fever and Zika, among other diseases
2) include/including
which can carry many diseases including …
3) like
which can carry diseases like …
4) such as
which can carry such diseases as …
sterilise: vt. 使失去生育能力
mate with …: 和……交配
lay eggs: 下蛋;产卵
unfertilised: adj. 未受精的
population crash: 人口爆跌
· stock market crash: 股价暴跌;股市崩盘
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